حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ كَانَ اسْمُهُ زَاهِرًا، وَكَانَ يُهْدِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، هَدِيَّةً مِنَ الْبَادِيَةِ، فَيُجَهِّزُهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ زَاهِرًا بَادِيَتُنَا وَنَحْنُ حَاضِرُوهُ وَكَانَ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحِبُّهُ وَكَانَ رَجُلا دَمِيمًا، فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، يَوْمًا وَهُوَ يَبِيعُ مَتَاعَهُ وَاحْتَضَنَهُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ وَهُوَ لا يُبْصِرُهُ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ أَرْسِلْنِي فَالْتَفَتَ فَعَرَفَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَعَلَ لا يَأْلُو مَا أَلْصَقَ ظَهْرَهُ بِصَدْرِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم حِينَ عَرَفَهُ، فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، يَقُولُ: مَنْ يَشْتَرِي هَذَا الْعَبْدَ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِذًا وَاللَّهِ تَجِدُنِي كَاسِدًا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: لَكِنْ عِنْدَ اللهِ لَسْتَ بِكَاسِدٍ أَوْ قَالَ: أَنتَ عِنْدَ اللهِ غَالٍ..
Anas ibn Malik said:
“There was a man among the people of the desert — his name was Zahir — and he used to bring the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) a present from the desert, so the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would equip him when he wished to go out to battle. “The Prophet said (Allah bless him and give him peace):‘Zahir is our desert, and we are his towns'. He (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to love him, though he was a homely man, so the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) came to him one day while he was selling his wares, and embraced him from behind so that he couldn't see who it was. So he said: ‘Who is this? Let go of me!’ Then he turned around and recognized the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Once he recognized the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), he kept his back pressed to the Prophet's chest, so the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) proceeded to say: ‘Who will buy this slave?’ The man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, in that case, by Allah, you will find me an unsellable commodity!’ The Prophet said (Allah bless him and give him peace): ‘But you are not an unsaleable commodity in the view of Allah),’ or he said: ‘You are precious to Allah!'”
Reported by Ahmad (No. 12187). Cited in Ash-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya (No. 238).